Offshore Wind in the Northeast Region

This webpage is collaboratively managed by the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils

The Mid-Atlantic and New England Councils (MAFMC and NEFMC), working with NOAA Fisheries, collaboratively developed this page to link to information and resources that may be relevant to offshore wind energy development and fisheries. This page also provides information on the Councils' involvement in, and comments on, wind energy development activities, as well as resources for its stakeholders.

Stay Informed

Notices to Fishermen and Comment Opportunities

Our Offshore Wind - Stay Informed page has links and resources to help you stay informed about offshore wind projects in the Northeast region. Find the latest notices or sign up to receive email updates about activities in your area.

Exploring the Coexistence of Fisheries and Offshore Wind

Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and Environmental Resources Management are exploring approaches to fisheries coexistence with floating offshore wind. Engagement efforts begin mid-April 2024. Learn more here.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the lead federal agency responsible for leasing and oversight/regulation of offshore wind energy development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf. Visit the links below to engage in and stay informed about BOEM activities.

• BOEM Fishing Industry Communication and Engagement Web Page

• BOEM State Activities Web Page

• Sign up to receive email updates

Council Engagement on Offshore Wind

To the extent practicable, the Councils comment directly to BOEM, the Coast Guard, and other agencies in response to specific requests for input. For individual projects, this includes submitting comments during the scoping period and on draft environmental impact statements. Other comment opportunities include calls for information on potential new wind energy areas, proposed lease sale notices and related environmental assessments, and draft port access route studies.

Potential Future Lease Areas

• Central Atlantic. In December 2023, BOEM announced a proposed sale notice for two additional lease areas off Delaware/Maryland and Virginia. BOEM anticipates publishing a final sale notice in June 2024 and holding a lease auction in August 2024. BOEM is also taking steps towards defining more lease areas in the Central Atlantic, with an additional lease auction possible in 2026.

• Gulf of Maine (Commercial Leasing). In March 2024, BOEM announced a final Wind Energy Area for the Gulf of Maine. Eight lease areas were proposed in a Proposed Sale Notice which is available for comment through July 1, 2024. BOEM anticipates publishing a final sale notice and conducting a lease auction by the end of 2024.

• Gulf of Maine (Research Lease). On May 3, 2023, BOEM announced the publication of the Gulf of Maine’s Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a wind energy research lease on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf offshore Maine.

Federal and state agencies, fishing industry members and fishery managers, and wind developers have established various mechanisms by which to coordinate and promote the coexistence of fisheries and offshore wind farms.

Responsible Offshore Development Alliance

The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) is a broad membership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and fishing companies with an interest in improving the compatibility of new offshore development with their businesses. It endeavors, through collaborations with NOAA Fisheries and other partners, to coordinate science and policy approaches to managing development of the Outer Continental Shelf in a way that minimizes conflicts with existing traditional and historical fishing. In March 2019, NOAA Fisheries and BOEM signed a 10 year Memorandum of Understanding with RODA.

Responsible Offshore Science Alliance

The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing for and advancing regional research and monitoring of fisheries and offshore wind interactions in federal waters through collaboration and cooperation in order to: (a) Increase salient and credible data on fisheries and wind development; and (b) increase the understanding of the effects of wind energy development on fisheries and the ocean ecosystems on which they depend.

Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative

The Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative (RSWC) is led by four sectors with equal representation: federal agencies, states, environmental non-governmental organizations, and the offshore wind industry. The mission of the RWSC is to collaboratively and effectively conduct and coordinate relevant, credible, and efficient regional monitoring and research of wildlife and marine ecosystems that supports the advancement of environmentally responsible and cost-efficient offshore wind power development activities in U.S. Atlantic waters. The RWSC focuses on non-fisheries wildlife.

State Pages and Resources

• Maine Offshore Wind Initiative

• New Hampshire Commission to Study Offshore Wind and Port Development

• Massachusetts Renewable Energy Division – Offshore Wind

• Massachusetts Clean Energy Center – Offshore Wind

• Massachusetts Fisheries Working Group on Offshore Wind Energy

• Rhode Island Division of Marine Fisheries – Offshore Wind

• Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council –Wind Energy

• Connecticut Renewable Energy

• New York State Fisheries Technical Working Group

• New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

• New Jersey Offshore Wind

• Maryland Wind Energy Programs

• Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority

• North Carolina Offshore Wind Development

• Achieving Co-existence between Fisheries and Offshore Wind Development in the U.S., November 2019. Presented by Andy Lipsky (NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center) and Annie Hawkins (RODA) at the Symposium on Marine Resources and Offshore Wind in Bremerhaven, Germany.

• NOAA Fisheries is participating in several international working groups through ICES, including a new Working Group on Offshore Wind Development and Fisheries, the Working Group on Marine Benthal and Renewable Energy Developments (which will host a symposium in Rhode Island in April 2020), and the Working Group on Offshore Renewable Energy. In addition, the ICES Annual Science Conference which took place in Copenhagen, Denmark in September 2020 included a session on the co-existence of fisheries and offshore wind energy development.

Survey Recommendations

• NOAA Fisheries Recommendations on Habitat Mapping for Wind Energy Development (updated 3/29/21)

• ROSA Offshore Wind Project Monitoring Framework and Guidelines (March 2021)

NOAA Fisheries Habitat and Protected Resources Mapping Applications

The Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Mapper is an interactive platform for viewing maps of habitats identified as necessary to managed fish species for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity. An EFH consultation with NOAA Fisheries is required whenever a federal agency authorizes, funds, or undertakes an action (such as authorizing construction of a wind farm) in an area that will affect EFH. More information on the EFH consultation process is available on the NOAA Fisheries web page.

The Protected Resources: Section 7 Mapper is an interactive platform for identifying where endangered and threatened species and their critical habitat occur within the Greater Atlantic Region. All federal actions that may affect a species or critical habitat listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) must undergo a consultation between the lead federal agency and NOAA Fisheries or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, depending on the species. All offshore wind activities are likely to require an ESA consultation with NOAA Fisheries. More information on the ESA Section 7 consultation process is available on the NOAA Fisheries web page.

Regional Ocean Data Portals

The Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal and Northeast Ocean Data Portal are online resources that consolidate available data to visualize and analyze ocean resources and human use information such as fishing grounds, recreational areas, shipping lanes, habitat areas, and energy sites, among others. Data include offshore project areas and cable corridors for certain wind energy projects.

Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conducts and funds research and development activities related to offshore wind energy, through its Wind Energy Technology Office. To stay informed about wind energy activities and public comment opportunities, sign up to receive email updates from the DOE. Visit the pages linked below to learn more.

• National Wind Energy Vision and Plans

• Wind Vision Road Map (2017) 

• Offshore Wind R&D funding and related resources

• Wind Energy Technologies Office Projects Map – Interactive Map

• National Offshore Wind Energy R&D consortium

• Floating Offshore Wind Shot

• Offshore Wind Transmission Federal Planning & Support

• Strategy to Advance Offshore Wind Energy in the United States

• Supply Chain Road Map for Offshore Wind Energy in the United States

• Offshore Wind Market Report: 2022 Edition

• Offshore Wind Energy Strategies

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

• BOEM: Commercial Fishing Frequently Asked Questions

• BOEM’s Environmental Studies Program

• A citizens guide to BOEM’s renewable energy authorization process

• BOEM Report on Best Management Practices and Mitigation Measures to Address Potential Use Conflicts between Commercial Wind Energy Lessees/Grantees and Commercial Fishermen on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

• BOEM Renewable Energy Leases Map Book

Additional Documents and Resources

• Offshore Wind Facts (developed by the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind (SIOW))

• Fisheries and Offshore Wind Interactions: Synthesis of the Science (2023, NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-NE-291)

• AWEA Offshore Wind Public Participation Guide

• NOAA Fisheries NEFSC Presentation: Fisheries in a New Era of Offshore Wind Development

• Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council: Offshore Wind Best Management Practices Workshop

• Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine workshop on Atlantic Offshore Renewable Energy Development and Fisheries

• Report of the MAFAC Offshore Wind Ad Hoc Working Group (7/1/2020)

Contacts

• Mid-Atlantic Council: Julia Beaty, jbeaty@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5250

• New England Council: Michelle Bachman, mbachman@nefmc.org, (978) 465-0492 ext. 120

• NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office: Sue Tuxbury, susan.tuxbury@noaa.gov, (978) 281-9176

• NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center: Andy Lipsky, andrew.lipsky@noaa.gov, (401) 829-8286

Disclaimer: Many of the links on this page lead to external websites not managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Council. We have made every effort to ensure that the resources listed on this page are relevant and up-to-date. However, the Councils cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided on non-Council websites. References to external websites do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by either Council. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the staff members listed at the bottom of this page.